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Mississippi River levee path in Algiers expected to advance this week

Algiers Levee Path UpdateA two-mile-long asphalt path atop the Mississippi River in Algiers is expected to be completed in October. Durr Heavy Construction, the Jefferson Parish company that holds the $3 million contract, expects to close the levee to pedestrians and bicyclists to begin paving the path during the week of Sept. 16. The Algiers Development District board is paying for the project. About 70 solar-powered lights will be spread along the path, from the Algiers Point ferry terminal downriver to the former Todd Shipyard site, which is adjacent to the former Naval Support Activity, now the Federal City campus.

Construction crews expect to begin paving a 2-mile stretch of the Mississippi River levee in Algiers this week, as the final phase of work on the pedestrian and bike path begins. Officials believe the $3 million project could be completed sometime next month.

“It’s really going to tie Algiers together in a way it hasn’t seen in many years,” said New Orleans City Councilwoman Kristin Palmer, an original proponent for the levee path in Algiers. “Really, this is unprecedented.”

Freddie Yoder, president of the Harahan-based Durr Heavy Construction, which was awarded the $2.8 million contract last year, said Friday the company did not have a firm date for when the paving will start, other than it is expected during the week of Sept. 16. In recent weeks, the company began preparing for the asphalt.

When the work begins, people will be asked to stay off the levee, which, despite the ongoing construction, continued to be used by bicyclists and pedestrians. Construction began in November, and its completion date had been pushed back because of delays that included a 9-week work stoppage ordered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which bans heavy construction near the levees when the river rises above a certain level.

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

The Algiers Development District board of commissioners started the project obtained $3 million in revenue bonds through the state to pay for the work. The commissioners, who oversee a tax-increment financing district, guarantee repayment through its revenue source, which is a portion of the sales tax dollars generated by the Walmart and neighboring businesses on Behrman Highway.

Palmer, who also is an Algiers Development District commissioner, said the path will do more than improve residents’ quality of life. It also will connect Algiers neighborhoods, some of which were detached for decades when the Naval Support Activity was opened. The Navy had gated off the levee and river batture, because it owned the property. The former Navy installation is being redeveloped as the Federal City, which Palmer said should benefit from the path.

Two miles of levee top will be paved, from the Algiers Point ferry terminal to the former Todd Shipyard site, immediately downriver from Federal City. The Algiers Development District planned to extend the path from Algiers Point to the Algiers-Chalmette ferry terminal, a total of almost six miles.

But commissioners decided to break the project into two phases, because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans levee improvements on the downriver side of Federal City. That, commissioners said, meant the government would tear up the path in areas. There is no timetable for the second phase.

When the first phase is complete, the levee will be paved from Federal City to the Gretna Riverfront Amphitheater at the foot of Huey P. Long Avenue. The levee already is paved from the Algiers Point ferry terminal to Gretna.

The newly paved section includes about 70 solar-powered lights and several river overlooks with benches. All of the concrete pads on which the lights are to be mounted appear to be poured. Almost all of the lights appear to be installed. The Algiers Development District's commissioners have decided to wait until construction is complete before turning on the lights.